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Bigger Than the xAI Project, OpenAI’s Data Center in Texas Already Consumes 300 MW and Could Reach 1 GW by 2026.
The world’s largest artificial intelligence data center may no longer belong to Elon Musk’s xAI company. Recent information indicates that OpenAI operates an even larger facility in Texas, which already consumes 300 megawatts of power and could reach the unprecedented mark of 1 gigawatt by mid-2026.
The colossal scale of the project has drawn the attention of regulatory bodies, who warn of risks to the stability of the electrical grid.
Installation Surpasses xAI’s Colossus
In 2023, xAI made an impact by announcing a data center with 200,000 GPUs and an estimated energy consumption of 250 MW. This number was already considered a milestone in the global race for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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However, data from SemiAnalysis indicates that OpenAI has already surpassed that scale. The company operates a structure with 300 MW of IT load capacity and could reach a maximum power of 500 MW.
The exact number of GPUs has not been revealed, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.
In addition to the operational building, a new identical unit has been under construction since January 2025. When completed, the expansion is expected to raise the total campus capacity to around 1 gigawatt, enough to power entire cities.
Concern About Impact on Electric Grid
The surge in energy consumption has led the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to closely monitor OpenAI’s movements.
The agency is responsible for supervising the electric grid in the state and believes that the project could cause serious imbalances in both energy generation and distribution.
The consumption of AI data centers is not only high but also volatile. The fluctuation between maximum and minimum usage in a matter of seconds puts pressure on the grid control systems.
Factories and commercial buildings typically have more stable consumption patterns, which makes planning easier. With data centers, that predictability disappears.
Risk of Cascading Failures
According to experts, sharp fluctuations in consumption, such as those caused by AI clusters, can provoke spikes or drops in voltage and frequency on the grid.
If these parameters exceed safety limits, there is a risk of equipment failure, system faults, and automatic shutdowns at other points in the grid.
The situation worsens when the change occurs suddenly. If, for instance, a data center the size of OpenAI abruptly reduces its consumption, the excess energy in the grid could force generators to shut down or affect neighboring consumers, creating a chain reaction.
Electric Infrastructure Under Pressure
To accommodate demand, energy companies need to rapidly expand infrastructure. This includes the construction or modernization of substations, transmission networks, and generation capacity.
The problem is that these investments are substantial and often need to be made before it is clear whether the demand will be sustainable.
Furthermore, impact studies on the grid, conducted by regional authorities, do not always keep pace with the speed of construction.
The integration of data centers into the electrical system requires detailed analyses, which usually take time. This lag between planning and execution represents another critical point in the process.
Economic Challenge for Energy Suppliers
Energy suppliers are faced with a dilemma. On one hand, they need to invest billions to meet the new demand from data centers.
On the other hand, the AI sector is still unstable, and the financial return on these investments is uncertain. If the grid is not modernized quickly, there is a risk of blackouts and impacts on other sectors of the economy, such as industry.
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is changing the relationship between technology and infrastructure. The competition for computing power has also become a competition for energy. And, with data centers consuming more than entire cities, the challenges of maintaining grid stability only increase.
Energy Giants at the Center of the Discussion
With the expansion of data centers, the responsibility of network operators also grows. OpenAI’s facility, with its giant structure and dozens of substations, requires precise control to ensure that its operation does not compromise the system as a whole.
In a scenario of energy transition and increasing demand for electricity, the presence of such intensive consumers places operators under immense pressure. The integration of these giant structures into the electrical grid requires coordination, investment, and technical capacity.
Toward the Milestone of 1 Gigawatt
If plans come to fruition, OpenAI’s campus will be the first AI data center to reach the scale of 1 gigawatt. This number, previously unimaginable for this type of installation, represents a new level in the race for large-scale artificial intelligence.
With the conclusion of the second building expected in 2026, Texas could become the world’s leading hub for AI computing — and also the biggest challenge for energy engineers and operators on the planet.
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